Driver turns self in to Louisa County Sheriff’s Office after high speed chase

A routine traffic check detail at the intersection of Three Notch Road (Rt. 250) and Rock Quarry Road on Thursday, June 27, turned out not to be so routine.

Curtis Watson

At approximately 7 p.m., while Virginia State Police were conducting the check point, Curtis Watson, 32, of Charlottesville, stopped. He was approached by the state trooper, who asked for Watson’s drivers license. Watson was unable to produce his license and was instructed to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway by the trooper.

Instead of pulling over, though, Watson sped off in his green four-door 2000 Honda Accord, fleeing the checkpoint and reaching a speed of about 100 miles per hour. State troopers initiated emergency equipment and pursued.

After approximately five miles, Watson pulled into a the yard of a nearby resident and the car came to a stop near a heavily wooded area in the 1100 block of Broad Street Road in Fluvaa County. He left the car in gear as it came to a stop in a briar patch and began to flee on foot.

Louisa County and Fluvanna County Sheriff’s Office’s, along with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, began a search of the area with the assistance of a canine unit.

Approximately four hours later, Watson turned himself in at the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office, where he was taken into custody.

Watson was charged with felony eluding, driving on a suspended license, reckless driving by speed and having an open container of alcohol.

He is being held at the Central Virginia Regional Jail pending his arraignment on July 2 in Louisa General District Court.